Blog

Dr. Egger likes a good scare as much as the next person, and he’s a big fan of Halloween. And, no, he doesn’t give away tiny tubes of toothpaste to his trick or treaters in Mount Pleasant! 

But if you have a set of full dentures, there is one thing that can be kind of terrifying — a slipping denture when you’re eating or even when you’re talking to someone. That’s as scary (and embarrassing) as any Tales from the Crypt episode! 

Dr. Egger fits, places, and maintains both full and partial dentures for our patients. We talked about removable partial and full dentures in this month’s first blog. Dr. Egger firmly believes, no pun intended, in the firm bite supplied by dental implants. But he understands that most people can’t afford to replace a full arch of teeth with implants. For those patients, dentures are still probably the best option. 

However, if we combine the two, we can get the rock-solid anchoring of implants with the large-scale tooth replacement of dentures. These are implant-supported dentures, and we think they provide the security that is usually missing with traditional dentures. 

Dentures 

When all the teeth in the patient’s mouth need replacing, dentures can return full functionality. They allow normal speaking and eating and, of course, present a perfect smile to the public. 

Dentures are made from acrylic and porcelain and include upper and lower sets. And, while fitting dentures with the use of our modern panoramic camera is much more precise than it used to be, due to the nature of the gums dentures still can slip and move. What they need are anchor points. 

Adding implants for stability 

That’s where implants come in. Implants, by their very nature, provide the stability needed to keep dentures in place. Implants are basically titanium screws that are placed into the socket formerly occupied by the tooth root. The body then builds new bone and totally integrates the new implant. Once this process is complete, a post is attached to the implant and, in normal circumstances, an artificial tooth atop that post. 

But with implant-supported dentures, Dr. Egger simply attaches the full upper and lower arches of dentures to the implants, rather than placing a crown on top of them. The number of implants he uses depends on how much jawbone mass has been lost while your teeth have been missing. When teeth are missing for longer periods of time, the jawbone beneath them begins to deteriorate because it doesn’t get the stimulation from the tooth above. Usually, he recommends four implants on top and bottom for ultimate stability. 

Who needs the scare of a slipping denture? If you’re missing most of your teeth, or have poorly fitting dentures, call Dr. Egger at (989) 773-3560 let’s see how we can get you into implant-supported dentures.